Battle of Messines

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Battle of Messines, (7–14 June 1917), British victory during World War I. The capture of Messines Ridge was a preliminary operation that took place just prior to the Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres). High-explosive mines placed under the German lines were used to devastating effect, and the blast from the explosions could be heard in London some 130 miles (209 km) distant.

The first stage in the British Flanders offensive was the securing of Ypres through the capture of the Messines Ridge just to the south of the city. Preparation had begun a year earlier with the digging of mines under the ridge. The tunneling companies of General Sir Herbert Plumer’s Second Army completed nineteen mines containing around one million pounds of high explosive. Plumer was well aware of the siege-warfare nature of fighting on the Western Front; he planned his offensives with meticulous detail, and his cautious approach saved lives and earned him the affectionate respect of his soldiers.

Second Battle of Ypres: gas masksAustralian soldiers wearing gas masks during the Second Battle of Ypres, 1915.Image Asset Managemen/World History Archive/age fotostock

The British attack at Messines on 7 June opened with the explosion of the mines, causing a virtual earthquake that immediately killed as many as 10,000 German soldiers. A hurricane bombardment by 2,000 guns preceded the advance of nine British and Australian infantry divisions, which proved a complete success. The artillery provided a highly effective "creeping barrage" that protected the infantry as they climbed up the ridge. The infantry met little opposition, with many Germans staggering over the battlefield in a confused state; some 7,000 prisoners were taken that morning. Once the ridge was in British hands, field artillery pieces were brought forward to help deal with the inevitable German counterattacks, which, in the event, were repulsed fairly easily. With the Messines Ridge in British hands, the focus of attention now moved to the breakout from the Ypres salient.